Position in chronology
Ashurbanipal 076
Written in modern English
Several cities in the vicinity of Paddiri — seized and held by the Manneans since the days of earlier Assyrian kings — were reconquered, burned, and plundered, then restored to Assyrian territory. The district of Arsiyaniš, which lies between Azaqanani and Mount Ḫarsi on the frontier of the Kumurdean region of Mannea, was leveled and put to the torch; its fortress commander Rayadišadî was killed and the district looted. The text then turns to the district of Eristeyana, but the column breaks off there — the opening lines are completely lost and the account ends before the action is described.
A modern paraphrase of the literal translation — same content, contemporary voice.
Translation — scholar edition
RINAP 5Completely missing (ii' 1') [I conquered, burned with fire, (and) pl]undered [the cities in the environs of the city Paddiri, which the Manneans had taken away (and) appropriated for] the[ms]elves [in the time of the kings, my ancestors. I returned those cities t]o the territory of A[ssyria]. (ii' 4') I leveled (and) b[urned] with fire [the d]istrict of the city [Arsiyaniš], which is between the city Azaq[anani and (lit. “of”) Mount Ḫarsi], which is before the land of the Kumurd[eans, who are in the land Mannea]. I [killed Rayadišadî], their fortress commander, [(and) I plundered it (Arsiyaniš)]. (ii' 9') [I conquered the district] of the city [Eristeyana],
Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian Period, volume 5 — scholar edition (ORACC).
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Why it matters
Chronicles Ashurbanipal's recapture of Mannean-occupied cities — Paddiri, Arsiyaniš, Eristeyana — documenting Assyrian efforts to reassert the northeastern frontier against a rival highland power.
Transliteration
[a-na] ⸢ra⸣-ma-ni-⸢šú-nu⸣ [ú-ter-ru ak-šu-ud ina dGIŠ.BAR aq-mu]1 / [áš]-⸢lu?⸣-la šal-lat-⸢sún⸣ [URU.MEŠ šá-a-tu-nu] / [a]-na mi-ṣir KUR ⸢AN⸣.[ŠÁR.KI ú-ter-ra] / ⸢na⸣-gu-ú šá ⸢URU⸣.[ar-si-ia-ni-iš] / ša bi-rit URU.a-za-⸢qa⸣-[na-ni ša KUR.ḫa-ar-si šá-di-i] / ša SAG KUR.ku-mu-ur-⸢da⸣-[a-a ša qé-reb KUR.man-na-a-a] / as-pu-un ina dGIŠ.BAR ⸢aq⸣-[mu mra-a-a-di-šá-di-i] / ⸢LÚ.GAL⸣ ḪAL.ṢU-šú-nu ⸢a⸣-[duk áš-lu-la šal-lat-su] / [na-gu-ú] ⸢šá URU⸣.[e-ri-is-te-ia-na ak-šu-ud]
Scholarly note
Royal inscription of Ashurbanipal or a late Sargonid successor, edited by Jamie Novotny & Joshua Jeffers (RINAP 5, 2018–). ORACC text Q003775.
Attribution
Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.earth/artifacts, P396623). source
Translation excerpted from Novotny, J. & Jeffers, J. 2018–. The Royal Inscriptions of Ashurbanipal (668–631 BC), Aššur-etel-ilāni (630–627 BC) and Sîn-šarra-iškun (626–612 BC), Kings of Assyria. RINAP 5. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap5/Q003775/.
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